As Expected He Was More Warped Than Most

There was one thing that nothing, be it a living organism or an inanimate object, was capable of resisting. And that thing was 'change'. Even those that boast that they would never change would eventually change. They just wouldn't realize it. If not metaphorically then literally. If not literally then metaphorically. However large or small it may seem, change was always present. A constant of sorts. Everything changed to a certain degree. Yet even though change was an ever present constant of life itself, sometimes it's temporary. Sometimes it was permanent. There were two types of change. Physical and mental. The former was more connected to the scientific aspect of existence. To be less vague, it was the simple effect of Evolution. The latter was driven by emotions, opinions, decisions and desires.

A late 1800s french man one said something about change. It went like this, "The More Things Change, The More they remain the same". A seemingly contradicting sentence. One the logical minds couldn't help but point out. After all, if something were to remain stagnated in one state of form or mind, how could that possibly change? Every time she attempted to think of that saying. Her logical thinking kept reasoning that it didn't make sense even though logic was not her go to way of thinking. She attempted to look at it in an objective point of view but still couldn't think of anything. It was a little embarrassing honestly, as a literature teacher to not be able to understand that. So long story short, She did not understand that saying.

That was before she started living with the one known as Kotomine Hachiman.

She paused for a moment. For some reason that name never sat well with her. 'Hachiman' was fine. Kotomine was fine too. But for some reason the words 'Hachiman' and 'Kotomine' being put side by side simply felt unnatural. To the point where it made her feel uncomfortable even. That was why she usually refrained from calling him by his name. There were times she did though, but those times there wasn't really any choice involved to it. She remembered asking Hachiman where he got the name Kotomine from. Mostly because no matter where she looked or who she asked, she couldn't find out what 'Kotomine' meant. It didn't take her long to realize that 'Kotomine' was not a Japanese name to begin with. Hachiman only told her this.

"From the same man that gave me this chance at life."

The implications of those words were not lost to her. Considering all she came to learn about Hachiman these past couple of months. From his warped personality to his near abhorrent need to make sense of almost everything with hard logic and facts. Everything except emotions. That was a relief. At least he realized that not everything could be calculated or made sense of. If he did then she couldn't even begin to fathom how warped his psyche was...

Then again, he did say he procured small bouts of pleasure from the suffering of another human being... It was a somewhat terrifying thought. Because people like that existed in fiction. Uncaring and unfeeling till they witness the suffering of another person or creature. All of them were 'evil' in nature. All of them were 'inhuman'. And all of them died terribly. Alone, unloved, not understood and empty. And even though she could see such an end for Kotomine Hachiman-*pause* fortunately Hiratsuka Shizuka was was a better judge of character than people give her credit for. Despite his less than ideal personality and thoughts on people suffering. He was still human. Abnormal perhaps. But human. How did she know? Well, he still had a goal. No, a desire. A desire to be normal. And desire was the most human thing in the world. It helped one to strive for good. For evil and everything in between and even beyond. Hiratsuka Shizuka believed with all her heart that so long as he clung onto that desire. So long as his conviction in fulfilling that desire did not waver, there would still be hope for him.

When Hachiman told her that he was given a chance at life. He meant it literally. As in, Hachiman would not even be alive if this other person bearing the name of Kotomine did not do this for him. Although, it did bring up another question. Why? Why would this man who Hachiman had not known even before losing his memories do all this for a young boy he never met or knew before?...

Hiratsuka Shizuka shook her head. She was getting off track there. Was her age catching up to her? No that can't be right. She wasn't that old... yet... A dark shadow looms over her head as the thought of another year passing without her being able to show any progress in her love life.

That was not necessarily true. There had been some progress but it wasn't really progress she could rely on at the moment. Or even the year after this one. Maybe not ever in fact considering it wasn't just a simple crush like many others. It was a crush on a student. Even if she ignored the obvious issues with harboring a crush or engaging in a relationship with one of her students, She was no fool. Things like love at first sight or only being able to the same person for life even if the person died/broke up not long after the relationship started was nothing more than a fantasy spouted by idiots that knew nothing about love nor relationships. Even things like 'meant for each other' or 'only one for me' or 'complete match/perfect fit' were just spouted by morons that were too scared to admit the problems(often glaring) in their 'relationship'. A couple like that wouldn't be able to last longer than a few months and worst or a couple of years at best. Because the moment they start to see the 'true' selves of their partners all hell tends to break loose. And even if that doesn't break them up. The moment they realize that their 'significant other' wasn't going to change their ways it definitely will. Most people didn't realize it but many relationships start with one if not both parties thinking they could change the others' behaviors. How did she know all this? Call it personal experience with a side dish of regret. So for now?

She would ignore these scandalous feelings till they would inevitably change with time and shift to the next person that caught her fancy. Still though...

How she ended up developing a crush on Hachiman was beyond her. But it was something a little more than just a crush. Because she didn't like him for who he could become. She ended up liking him for who he currently is. What that spoke of her taste in men was definitely the opposite of flattering. At least she wanted to help him in becoming who he desired to be. It won't be easy though. That much was for certain. Especially after the latest thing she notic-

Hiratsuka sighed in silent contentment when the sound of her coffee maker finally finished fulfilling it's purpose of the day. Now normally coffee wasn't her go to in the morning. Usually it's a cigarette. But ever since Hachiman pretty much banned her from smoking in the house, which she followed, which she still found hard to believe, she had been taking a liking to coffee. None of that overly sugary sweet canned garbage her roommate called coffee though.

She huffed in annoyance before taking a sip from her coffee cup. Just because she followed the rule of no more indoor smoking in their apartment didn't mean she had to like it or couldn't complain about it. After taking another sip she made her way towards the living room and sat down on her sofa and in front of the TV. She turned on the TV and the morning news was on air.

"Gotta love weekends." she mutters. Those who didn't needed to have their heads examined. Yes, today was a weekend. Hence why she just woke up. It was around 9 AM and she was supposed to cook breakfast today. Her roommate would take another hour on to wake up though. It was his routine. Waking up exactly at 10 AM sharp just like he usually would wake up at 7 AM and make breakfast for them on weekdays. Like clockwork. It was kind of creepy to be this on point and well timed. Like an actual machine that pretty much reacted upon preexisting settings. Sending him to a psychiatrist was her first thought. But the possibility of seeing him sent to an asylum because she wanted to take the easy way out didn't appeal to her. He had suffered plenty in this life even though he failed to show it himself. It was frustrating for her to see him like this. Before, when she didn't know enough of him and made her own assumptions of how he was based on the general issues teens his age would face, she didn't pay much attention to it. Now? All she wanted from him was so show his sadness. His frustrations and his anger. For him to let out all those negative emotions so that she could help him sort through the rest. So that he could finally feel a semblance of happiness in his otherwise miserable life. Heck it would have been fine if he was just in denial but that was far from the case. Now, after getting to know him, she just wasn't sure how to go about it. So for now she would just-

*CREAAAK*

'Huh?' the lone word echoes in her head as she turns it to see Hachimans' bedroom door open. Out came the man of her thoughts, literally on both accounts. Her eyes widened. This was the first time she ever saw him breaking a morning schedule. Sure they haven't been living together for long but still. Her nearly empty coffee cup almost fell from her grip.

"Good morning." he greets through a very tired yawn. The ahoge on his head twitched a little, as if it too greeted her.

"M-Morning." her greeting comes out as a weak stutter, still stunned by this sudden change of... she couldn't even find the right word to describe the situation right now.

With nothing else needed to be said after that Hachiman went towards the restroom to freshen up. Hiratsuka came out of her shocked stupor. She finished her coffee. If one were to look at her right now they could easily tell that she was deep in thought. Did something happen recently for this change to occur? He had shown signs of 'change' when something 'exciting' happened. But that only occurred twice so far as she knew. The first was that time he made friends with Haruno which was the same day she too had become somewhat of a 'friend' to him. And the other time was when he made friends with one Zaimokuza Yoshiteru from 2-C, he told her about it the day after the cultural festival, during breakfast. The friendship between her most problematic student and the biggest chuuni out of all the second years was a strange combination to be sure. But not really much more than he with herself or even Haruno. But there was a glaring difference between the former and the latter.

The 'change' itself wasn't anything huge. An extra haste to his steps. Something similar to excitement in his eyes even though no one was suffering nearby. And of course. Smiles. Small ones, when he thought no one was looking or when he was zoning out. But smiles nonetheless. It was somewhat relieving for her to see him like this for her... If only it lasted.

In less than two weeks, all of that disappeared. The haste, the excitement, the smiles. ALL of it. He had returned to his usual self as if nothing had happened. The Hachiman that was the face of stoicism had returned. He still acknowledged her and Haruno as his friends so that was a relief.

Of course, the reversion would have been normal since there was only so long someone could remain happy because of something as simple as making a friend or two. But he wasn't normal. In truth she didn't expect it to last as long as it did. To see something like making friends have such an impact on him was refreshing. Even though it didn't last long she was happy for him nonetheless. In fact, she found those days of seeing him smiling randomly to be the best days of her entire year... And no, it had nothing to do with her heartbeat accelerating when she saw him smiling... Nothing at all. GOING BACK TO THE PROBLEM AT HAND!

And then he made another friend at the festival... This time though, there were no changes to his demeanor...

That was worrying. She couldn't even begin to describe how that looked. She expected him to be happy again, even if it's for a shorter period of time. But there was nothing noticeable in his demeanor... It was almost as if... Almost as if there was something within him, working against his desire to be normal... Thankfully real life didn't work like anime. So that was nothing more than her attempt at elevating the 'problem' with a bad joke. There was definitely a more concrete and less nonsensical reasoning behind it. Maybe he didn't consider Zaimokuza Yoshiteru as great of a friend as Haruno and/or herself? It was a possibility of course. But it had a low probability rate. Considering Hachiman had been interacting with Zaimokuza far longer and more than he had been with herself and even Haruno.

The sound of the toilet flushing caught her attention. Her coffee was also consumed just a few seconds before it. She stood up. The restroom door opened. Hachiman stepped through with another yawn. Even though he just freshened up he still looked as tired as he entered. If not more so.

She frowned. "Tired?" She turned towards the kitchen.

He looked at her with those lifeless orbs of his. Considering the amount of time they had known each other, even before this unlikely 'friendship' began, it was no surprise she had gotten used to them. "Couldn't sleep right." He replied to her short question.

"Again?" This wasn't the first day he had been having problems with his sleep. It started the morning after the cultural festival ended. She had dismissed it as random restlessness that just came with having a packed daily schedule. But four days in a row? This could have been something serious. "Something on your mind?" he wasn't physically hurt and did not catch any illnesses, that much she was certain. So by the process of elimination that was the most likely answer. All she needed was him to confirm it.

"Yes." he answered without missing a beat.

As ever. He didn't hide what he didn't think was worth hiding. And it looks like this wasn't either. With the coffee mug cleaned she started making breakfast. Nonchalantly, she asked. "Mind telling me?"

"Yes." an instant reply with no followup. It made her pause. What could it possibly be if he didn't want to tell her.

"I see." she replied. She sent him a glance as he sat down on the sofa. Right next to the place she was sitting in earlier. She wasn't some jealous lover that would nag her significant other for keeping a secret or two from her. Everyone had a right to keep some secrets. She had some as well so she wouldn't pester him about his. Besides, keeping secrets was normal. "Can you tell me why?" Call her curious. There were few secrets she was certain he had. Some likely normal, others definitely dangerous. But he usually didn't lose sleep over them so she didn't see the need to force those out of him. She had plugged the rice cooker in before getting her morning coffee. This way it would be ready not long before the side dish would be done cooking. In fact, it was almost done.

"I don't know why but I..." he trailed off, tearing his eyes away from the news channel to focus on his palms that slowly opened and closed a couple of times. "I want to figure this one out by myself." He stood up and came into the kitchen and pulled out a couple of bowls and plates from the cupboard.

She raised an eyebrow at his action, unsure how to feel about it. Making breakfast was usually a single person thing here. Him on weekdays and her on weekends. She didn't mind the help though. It was kind of nice. "Uh-huh." She took a few seconds to process what he said. She had no qualms with his decision to leave her out of the loop. Since he was this determined to do this 'by himself' she would let him. But much like his rule about no more smoking inside the house, she didn't have to like his decision.

"Well..." she internally sighed. "If there is anything I can do to help. Just let me know." He likely remembers it but she reminded him just in case. He wasn't alone anymore.

"... Anything?" she notices him put on his 'thinking face' before turning around. The sound of the dishes he had in his hands being placed on the counter behind her reached her ears.

"Yup." The rice cooker beeps several times. Meaning the rice was ready. She reaches for the lid to air out some of the heat. But... Her hand doesn't make it to the kitchen appliance as her body freezes. Even though her body had stopped moving, its temperature was rising absurdly fast as her heart raced. So fast that her face turns red in seconds.

When she was a young girl, she had dreams of moments like this. Sometimes she even had those dreams nowadays in her adulthood. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone. Mostly because it was embarrassing to admit such a thing as a fully grown woman. But hey it was normal for a single woman her age to fantasize about these sort of things! But even in her fantasies she always thought it would be some older man with a 7 figure salary and a handsome face. Not with one of her students!... Not even one she had a crush on... The blush on her face darkened when she felt warm air tickling her neck. Her many one night stands did not prepare her for this! 'This is an act between lovers.' Her brain tells her. Thank you brain. Thank you for staring the obvious! Way to prove your uselessness right now!

"What are you doing?" she manages to ask him.

"Experimenting." he replied as if their current situation didn't matter at all.

"I... see..."

That's right. At this very moment. Hachiman, the boy... the man she had developed a not so small crush on, was embracing her from behind. Arms wrapped around her torso and head resting on her shoulder. With great willpower from her end she turned her head. Not enough to garner his attention or make him back away but just enough to she the expression on his face...

She failed to see it. Her hair was obscuring her view. 'Damn my beautiful locks!'

The result left her wanting, but she was still enjoying the feeling of being embraced from behind. Even though she kinda wished it was under different circumstances. Preferably one where this was happening between her and her(future) boyfriend or husband. Suddenly he snuggled deeper into her neck, causing her face to become even redder. Her caution was disappearing while the part of her that didn't want her to do anything stupid that would bite her in the future actually egged her on to do something stupid... When was the last time she had a boyfriend that lasted more than a couple of weeks again? She... couldn't remember.

'A failed experiment.' Unbeknownst to her, Hachiman had opened his eyes. And the expression on his face displayed disappointment. He used the thumb, index and middle finger of his right hand to pinch her gut. "You should watch what you eat."

The blush on her face disappeared to be replaced by a sneer. She elbowed his side as hard as she could, electing a short and emotionless 'ow' from him. He let her go without another word. She suppressed the urge to turn around and give him a good scolding for doing that 'experiment' of his even though she thoroughly enjoyed it. She already knew what he would retort with 'You said anything.' And while that certainly did fall under the category of anything it also fell under the category of things that could give her a heart attack.

"Go and set those on the table. I'm almost done here." she instructed after a heavy sigh. He placed the utensils down on the dinner table and took his seat. The aroma of fleshly cooked rice and miso soup reached his nose. The TV, still on the news channel was about to finish the morning news. The news anchor spoke.

"Investigations of the murders from three days ago continues on with the detectives having little to show for it. Although there has yet to be any more incidents since then the murderer still remains at large. For now Authorities advise all citizens in the city to remain indoors after work hours-"

Hiratsuka frowned. Chiba was not a magnet for crime but of course that didn't mean it didn't exist. Most of them were either too small to be noticed or were swept under the rug by the more political people in the city. The murder mentioned in the television had happened the day after the cultural festival ended. Well, night actually. Few murderers were stupid enough to actually try something in broad daylight. She picks up their breakfast and takes it to the living room where Hachiman was waiting for her. While filling his bowl with rice she took a peek at the boy who stared at the bowl in her hands silence. She didn't ask him about his thoughts and opinions on the matter. All he said was this-

"Dying is natural. We will all succumb to it eventually. There is nothing to gain from fearing it. If my time comes then it comes. So, Until I die, I will live."

Ignoring that last sentence. There was no sympathy at the sound of other people being murdered in his voice. There was no worry at the prospect of dying or being killed himself. And considering his work hours usually had him coming home very late at night she couldn't help but worry for his safety as well. She inwardly sighed. It wasn't uncommon to not feel sympathy for the lives strangers so she didn't have to worry about that. But to not worry for your own life was another thing entirely. She tried to tell him that she would pick him up from work but he denied her offer, saying it was unnecessary and that he would be fine. He wasn't afraid of dying. That much was certain. Had he been a normal teenager she would have passed off that line as teenage angst. But he wasn't a normal teenager. He meant every single word of what he said. And that... that frightened her more than she would have liked. She doubted any sane person wouldn't be scared of that though.

Without waiting any further. They dug into their breakfast.

There was once a time when Kotomine Hachiman didn't have to deal with insignificant things that had little to no connections with his search for links to his past nor had any chances of making him 'normal'. In those times he didn't end up getting dragged into whatever annoying 'problem' Yukinoshita Yukino or Hayama Hayato had that given week. It was like they had the ability to see problems that weren't even there is the first place. Or maybe that was just a normal person thing that he didn't understand. If becoming normal meant turning into something like those two then normalcy didn't sound like it was worth it anymore. He shuddered at the thought of himself losing sleep because of something like... ' Something like being rejected by a girl or thinking the world is against me.' That was stupid. A problem normal people probably had. But stupid.

Fortunately, This day was very much like one of those days. If only it didn't cost him a fifth of his monthly salary. But hey, the body wants what the body wants. At least this kept his libido sated for a while. And this time it also helped him stop thinking about his other problem. For now at least. Hachiman was going to stay a little longer even though his escort was preparing to leave. He had paid for the entire noon and afternoon and evening so he was going to spend a all of it in here even if he was alone. At least the bed sheets smelled nice and were very comfortable. And since his other problems were out of mind for now... 'Maybe I should catch up on some sleep now.' It would mess with his sleeping schedule a little bit but that was a calculated risk he had to take. Better to be a little rested before work than none at all.

The woman stopped combing her dark blue hair and spoke seductively. "If you keep staring like that I might get flustered you know." She turned to smirk at him at a teasing grin.

Hachiman blinks but doesn't turn away. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I find it flattering to be honest." she winks at him.

The Flattery was not intentional of course. He paid for her services and she had done her part splendidly. Right now, even though she was nearly in the nude, he stared at her but felt very little arousal. That may change should she actually touched him in her(and also his) current state. For sometimes his body's actions simply went against what his mind commanded. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I may or may not answer depending on your question." she stood up. The lacy purple underwear she had on certainly did it's part in their foreplay earlier but he wills himself to not remember that.

"Your hair." he started. "The first time we met it was yellow. Then red and now blue. Why?" it was more of a curiosity thing than anything else. Dyeing hair was becoming a common practice among many since the start of the new millennium. While he saw no purpose in that. He always wanted to know why those that did it actually did it. Once again, this question is born out of curiosity.

"Variety to be honest. Does it bother you?" she asks while putting on the rest of her clothes. He was beginning to think she choose to do her hair before putting on all her cloths just to entice his bodily desires. Before he could respond she continued. "If it makes you feel better the first time we met you saw me in my natural hair color."

It didn't bother him. Once again, he had hired her for her services to quell his bodily desires. So long as those were taken care of he was fine with whoever it was. Although he couldn't complain. This woman had most of the things he desired in a sexual partner. Best of all she was older than him. Once again, older women proved their superiority over their teenage counterparts. This woman was no milf but someone in their early thirties was the closest thing to it so he couldn't complain. Then again, that little fact was never in question in his view.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked him. He nods at her when she glanced back at him. "You've gained some muscle since we last met. Have you been working out?"

'Is it noticeable?' he nodded again while silently wondering. It wasn't much. Just some light exercise in the mornings and 'training' under the watchful eye of his senior at work. He hadn't grown bodybuilder like muscles or even large muscles like his old landlord. But his body definitely looked to be a little more in shape than before.

"... Nice." The unnamed woman comments before reaching for the doorknob.

Hachimans' eyes close after the woman left. A couple of hours of sleep wouldn't hurt after all.

-Later-

His eyes opened. He stood up and rubbed his shoulders. The bed was certainly comfy yes, but his body was a little sore. He squeezed his right arm which had gone numb. He ended up falling asleep on that arm. "How unpleasant." he mutters to himself. A quick shower later he exited the hotel. By the looks of it he still had about an hour before work. Enough time to go home and get changed then head to work.

He keeps silent as he walked through the streets. Not bringing his bicycle was also an inconvenience he would have to go through. Not after having the last one stolen anyway. Now that he thought about it. 'It's been a while since I've had a walk by myself.'

"Hachi-kun!?"

Looks like he spoke too soon. The voice felt kind of familiar. Even though he couldn't remember who it belonged to no matter how much he tried. He looked around for the person that called out to him. Shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. A somewhat pretty face with a slender figure that went along with it. His eyes widened.

'Do I know this person?' he wonders to himself as the teenage girl that was approaching him with haste. There was a group of other students, three girls and three boys, behind her. They weren't approaching him but some of them were sending glances at him every so often. Going back to the girl that actually was coming towards him. She seemed kind of familiar but he just couldn't remember her. His eyes squints a little for just a second to check for danger. Seeing none he raised an eyebrow at the girl. 'Who is she?"

"Hachiman-kun." she greeted him. He blinks at her. "How are you? It's been so long-"

His eyes widened a little. Did this person know him? The him that was here before the current him? Anticipation welled up within him-

"-Well not that long. Just a couple of years. How are you doing these days?"

That anticipation suddenly died a very ugly death. His face didn't show his disappointment as he tilts his head to the left just a little. "I'm sorry but... Who are you?"

Unlike him though. The girl did not fail to show her disappointment. "Don't you remember me? It's me Kaori. Orimoto Kaori. We went to the same middle school?"

'So that's why I don't remember her.' He... remembered very little about his middle school days. Not because there was some 'traumatic' experience he could recall. There just wasn't anything worth remembering. Not to mention most of his classmates didn't even remember him. So the chances of anyone actually noticing him now out here in the streets, after almost two years no less, was also near zero. And since they had little significance in his life and all evidence showed that he was unlikely to see them again he had gradually began to forget most of their names and faces by default. "Ah." He nodded. The lie was not necessary but if he played along maybe she would leave after a couple of minutes earlier than him telling her he didn't remember her. Clearly she noticed his lack of enthusiasm and mistook it for him still being unable to remember her. The group of teens behind her began mutter to themselves. She didn't seem to hear it or didn't seem to acknowledge it. He heard it of course. These ears of his heard too much as usual. Although, one of the boys in that group did narrow his eyes at Hachiman. He was tall, around Hachimans' own height and had dark brown hair that almost looked black. Hachiman had no idea what he did to receive that treatment.

"We dated for a while..." he wasn't the only one that blinked when she said that aloud. The jaw of the boy that narrowed his eyes at Hachiman earlier parted but no words came out of him. The rest of the teens that heard Orimotos' declaration were in a similar state. He was slow at social cues but not completely ignorant. After all this time of observing his classmates, only because they were speaking while being unaware of his presence despite him sitting right next to them, even he knew she shouldn't have said that out loud so casually.

He had no strong emotion towards himself. Hence why accepting his physical and most of his psychological aspects came naturally to him. In fact he preferred having his flaws, it gave him the illusion of normalcy after all. His face was 'average' at best. He wasn't particularly tall and his 'muscles' were all hidden beneath the cloths he wore. Not to mention he usually slouched unless he was at work so he appeared shorter than he actually was. Meaning his value as a romantic partner would be judged by his face. Problem with that was that his eyes made that 'average' go down a couple of notches. Meaning most women didn't really see him as 'boyfriend' material from mere glances. Meaning he wasn't really someone that could be used as bragging material in front of friends. So why would she, a definite social butterfly that thrived on the opinions others had of her so casually say that she had dated someone like him in front of her frie-

'Oh... I remember her now.' With a personality of Yuigahama, a loose mouth like Yukinoshita and himself, this was Orimoto Kaori. A lowkey 'airhead' that just said whatever came to her mind, rarely caring for the consequences that it may bring to her or anyone around her. Many back in middle school called it her best quality aside her 'beauty'. She was one of his few attempts at wanting to feel normal through other means when finding his past self felt too frustrating to handle. And much like the rest, a failed attempt. His once sudden 'girlfriend' and then stranger. His realization must have showed in his face. Orimoto smiled at him, 'dazzlingly'. Yes, Hachiman did remember her now. More memories of her returned. Fragmented though, for he did not have perfect memory. He always wondered how people in anime and dramas showed perfectly detailed flashbacks of events in their pasts. He couldn't even recall what he had for breakfast last week. "I am well. How are you?" A standard question to ask those you meet after a period of time.

"Great! I thought I recognized you and came to investigate. It really surprised me to see you out here. Back in middle school you rarely even got out of your home, right?" The lack of brain to mouth filter sure was abhorrently noticeable. Her words were spoken out loud. Had he been a 'normal' person then those words probably would have 'hurt' him. But he saw no point in that. Besides, it wasn't like she was wrong.

Hachiman nodded, agreeing with her statement. "Is there something you wanted from me?" his emotionless tone lacked the rudeness or hostility that line suggested. Not that there was any. He needed to leave soon. If he wasted too much time out here he would be late for work.

"Oh I just thought that we could. You know, catch up?" she asks him nervously. Hachiman noticed the group behind Orimoto. Or more specifically, the tall boy that kept staring at he and Orimoto to wince at that.

"I'm sorry." Orimoto visibly grimaced at him. "I don't have the time right now." her expression brightens considerably.

"That's okay!" she exclaimed before pulling out her phone. "My old phone broke a while back and I wasn't able to recover the contact infos on it. Ca-Can I have yours again?" she asked shyly.

He saw no problem with her request. Whipping out his own they shared their numbers with each other. Her smile brightened even more when she noticed his old phone. He didn't understand why though. It's not like his phone was anything special. Even though it hadn't been more than three years since he got this thing, it was a hopelessly outdated device compared to some of the newer smartphone models. Technology sure progressed rapidly. "I will be leaving then."

She nods, her smile not fading. "I'll call you later okay?"

Hachiman returns the nod and turns around. The last thing he saw was the group behind Orimoto, consoling the tall boy in their group.

-Later-

"Lugging things around helps with muscle building but like riding bicycles it's not really enough to build proper muscle mass. At most those will just increase your grip strength and increase certain muscles unevenly. That's why things like weight training has a bunch of methods to train either a set of or individual muscles on short bursts at a time." Satoshis' words of wisdom reach Hachimans' ears clearly. After all, they were walking side by side while carrying a moderately sized wooden office desk. He appreciated the words, no doubt about it. But he couldn't help but speak his mind.

"You already told me that a while ago." of course Satoshi did not feel offended at all. Hachimans' wasn't wrong and Satoshi knew better than to blame someone for his own lack of insight and failure to remember.

"I did? Damn." if their arms weren't occupied Hachiman was certain Satoshi would have scratched his cheek right now. An odd habit the older man had. "I guess I'm running out of advice to give you. I'm not much of a teacher. That's kinda my wife's thing."

"Your wife teaches people how to fight?" Hachiman asked.

"Oh no. She's a kindergarten teacher. Has been for almost fifteen years now." Satoshi answered.

"I... do not think teaching toddlers how to finger paint and teaching people how to fight could be used in the same context." the two set down the office desk next to a van. Satoshi went inside the van and got in position.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

With a deep breath and a grunt, the two heaved the desk inside the van's container. Satoshi spoke, "Help me turn this around a little more to the left." Hachiman complied. "Alright. That's the last one!" Satoshi yelled the last part out causing the driver to get the engine started. The two of them exited the van and locked it down tight and the next minute they watched the van moving away toward it's next destination.

"Teaching is a respectable job, regardless of who or what you teach." Hachiman listened to the older man in silence. "At the end of the day the teacher is still teaching their students new things. Whether that 'thing' is useful or not might be debatable-" Hachiman was aware of Satoshis' disinterest in math. "-But it's still molding the minds of the next generation to become better than the previous. I find that admirable, If I wasn't kinda stupid academic wise I'd have picked up teaching as a profession rather than this."

Hachiman nodded in understanding. He didn't disagree. They headed back into there warehouse. Thankfully there wasn't anything else as big and heavy as an office desk waiting to be moved.

"Come to think of it. I don't think you met my wife yet right?"

"That is correct."

"Nor did I show you a picture of her right?"

"That is correct."

"Hmm. I don't think I will then."

Hachiman blinked in confusion. 'Then what was the point of that conversation?' His question remained in his head. But not for long as Satoshi spoke again.

"You will be meeting her face to face then." Satoshi grinned at Hachiman whom just raised an eyebrow at him. "She's gone to her mother's place to visit for a while. But she'll be back in a couple of weeks. Next month. Dinner at my place. How does that sound?"

"I appreciate the offer. Thank you for having me."

Another day at the service club. As always Hachiman focused on learning. And as always Yuigahama and Yukinoshita conversed on the side about something. However there was something different today. The hot cup of tea sat on the table, a good distance away from his opened books. Served by none other than Yukinoshita Yukino. He was caught off guard by the act of 'generosity' from her. He thought she hated him. Especially after all the things he said to her that day at the nurse's office. What he said was true. But true words were often unkind. And a headstrong person like Yukinoshita could easily take what he said as an attempt to antagonize her. Sure he had told her that when she was sick. But she wasn't sick anymore. And like most humans, she too was prone to change her mind when circumstances changes.

Considering how prideful she was he expected her to be 'a whiny little brat' about it after her head cleared up. Much to his surprise she didn't throw a hissy fit. He did not expect that nor had he expected her to warm up the way she did. Not that he minded. If anything this was a good thing. If she actually learned something from what he said that day perhaps she would become less irritating to him over time. And hopefully less of a burden on Haruno and everyone around her.

Speaking of Haruno, He had told her about his conversation with Yukino. Haruno was not pleased with what he did without her permission.

"I was hoping for her to accept that herself but no point mulling over it now." Haruno pouts at him before patting one of his cheeks. "Let me handle her. Your methods are too blunt and could cause lasting damage. Even for her. It may not look like it but your opinion really matters to her. Besides, I'm her sister. It's my duty to guide her remember?"

That was fine. He would leave Yukino to Haruno without question. Hachiman didn't really care much about Yukinos' problems and sufferings. Nor did he want to. The girl in question might probably throw another fit if he said that to her fa-

Oh wait. He kind of already did, didn't he? Never mind then.

"What do you think Kotomine-kun?"

His stopped focusing on his English book and sent Yuigahama a questioning look. "Yes?"

Yukinoshita turned the laptop on the desk towards him and waited for his response. Hachiman looted at it... He had no idea what he was supposed to be looking at. He looked back at the two girls. "...What am I supposed to be looking at?" he was bad with technology, if this thing wasn't working or something he couldn't do anything about it. Speaking of which, why did they even have a laptop here? Weren't these things super expensive or something? He never actually saw one these so close before. He considered touching it but he was unsure if he could pay for it if it broke. How did they even manage to-

'Oh right, Yukinoshita is rich.' Money solved a lot of problems, didn't it? Too bad it was finite and was prone to inflation.

Yukinoshita rolled her eyes before pointing at the screen of the laptop. There was an odd image at the center with writings on it. It... kind of looked like a mail. He read the 'mail'. "So?"

They groaned at him. His raised an eyebrow. That groan didn't really- "That did not answer my question."

"This is our latest request for the service club." Yukinoshita explained.

"Why would Shiromeguri-senpai want our help?" his confusion was apparent. "Surely as the student council president she has more experience with this than us?"

"This is from Shiromeguri-senpai?" Yuigahama asked while looking at the name of the sender.

The name was an alias that much was certain. But who else would want advice on making the Sports Festival a 'blast' other than the student council? The one's who would be undoubtedly part of the crew that had to manage the event. But that wasn't enough evidence for him to have said the name of Shiromeguri Meguri. No, he said her name because the sender was a 'Megu Megu'. There wasn't anyone among the student council had Megu in their names aside the president herself. 'Megu' was pronounced in both 'Shiromeguri' and 'Meguri'. Besides, what was 'Megu Megu' but a moe version of Shiromeguri's name? Though he did not understand moe culture he did know quite a bit of it. Just a side effect of watching a lot of Pretty Cure and anime akin to Pretty Cure. And lastly, the person that sent the mail mentioned this being their last festival. Meaning the sender was a third year. Therefore the sender was Shiromeguri Meguri. A third year student that's a part of the student council and had 'Megu' in their name. It wasn't really that hard to figure out.

There was a knock at the door. Hachiman returned to his book. This was likely someone that had a request for the club. So he just needed to pay the bare minimum attention to them in order to keep up with the 'request'.

"Come in." Yukinoshita called out in response to the knock.

The door slid open and the person of Hachimans' thoughts, Shiromeguri Meguri entered. Hachiman was not surprised. Her mail had already made him assured of her eventual arrival. If not today then tomorrow. He focused on his book while keeping an ear out towards their conversation in case he was required to do or say something. Meguri greeted the girls, completely ignoring him even though she was standing right next to him. That was of no worry to him though. Being ignored and often times not even noticed was rather normal for him. Often times it was-

"Ah Kotomine-kun!" that was Shiromeguri squeaking as she finally noticed him. "Sorry I didn't notice you sitting there."

"There is no need to worry. He is used to being ignored." it was Yukinoshita that had replied on his behalf. Her barb at him lacked the malice or disdain she usually had in her words when 'dissing' him. In fact it almost sounded teasing.

He was not offended. She was right. This was normal for him. "She is correct. I've mastered the art of remaining perfectly still to the point where I often become nearly invisible to those unaware of my presence." There was no humor in his words even though he made a joke. It was just a joke based on a fact. He was aware that his sense of humor was nonexistent. His 'Stealth Hachiman' ability sure worked wonders in certain situations though. Like last year's cultural festival where he managed to get away with doing nothing.

"Could you tell us more about this request?" Yukinoshita asked Shiromeguri. Looks like his fact based joke was ignored. He returned to his book.

'Special event?' they had special events during sports festivals here in Sobu? Huh, he had no idea. Come to think of it, he didn't even remember what happened last year during the sports festival. Did he even-

"I'm unsure if I even participated last year." he said aloud. They sent him a confused look. "I often use my invisibility to slip away from things." He meant that literally. Didn't seem like the girls were amused at that revaluation.

"You shouldn't do that Kotomine-kun." Yuigahama chided him. Despite not remembering anything about it herself like Yukinoshita. "Your team might have lost because of that."

Hachiman could only shrug at her. It had been nearly a year ago. There wasn't really anything he could do about it now.

"Ahaha." Shiromeguri nervously laughed at them. Mentally taking note of the odd dynamic they had in this three person club of theirs. "Nothing big happened last year so I guess it got easily forgotten." She suddenly smiled at them. "So I really want to make this year fun and memorable! Can you guys help me?"

"Fun and memorable huh?" Yukinoshita put on her thinking face. "We can do that."

Hachiman was unsure whether Yukinoshita even knew what the word 'fun' meant. Then again neither did he. Well, not the normal kind anyway. He listened in on the rest of their conversation. 'A meeting? Now?' There wasn't that long remaining for club either. Did this mean he would have to stay longer than usual? Ah, the god watching over him truly had a weird sense of humor. "Red team." So everyone in this room belonged to the same team? The chances of that was rather slim. Wasn't Zaimokuza also in the Red team? What next? His homeroom teacher/roommate being the only teacher in charge of the festival?

A few minutes later Hachiman got his answer. He was correct. 'Where are the rest of the teachers in this school?' Actually, when was the last time he even saw another teacher doing something outside of teaching in this school?

"So you're in charge of the Athletics Festival too sensei?" Yukinoshita asked their teacher.

Maybe she just had that much free time on her hands. "... You need a hobby. One that doesn't involve food or your students." Hachiman spoke without restraint. The very next second an empty plastic cup tackles his face. He didn't flinch and even caught the 'projectile' before it fell on the ground. The girls standing next to Hachiman were startled by that and took a step back.

"I'll have you know they always push the responsibility of these events to the youngest teachers." the woman glared at him. The glare lacked anger though so there was nothing to worry about. She smirked, as if she was about to unveil a great secret before pointing to herself with her thumb. "Youngest teacher. Youngest."

Hachiman knew for a fact that there was a teacher younger than Hiratsuka Shizuka in their school but kept it to himself. A wise man once said 'Choose your battles carefully.' And he had chosen his. They probably let her have the position because they knew how she'd react if someone else got to do the job that only the 'youngest' teacher was supposed to do. He didn't comment on it though. Since unlike the teachers who only would have to deal with her 'sudden' change of attitude at work he would have been stuck with it for pretty much the rest of the duration. Even the weekends.

"What is it that you want us to do sensei?" Yukinoshita asked again. She was used to their club advisor's antics as much as he was. The woman explained that she was bored of the same athletics festival every year wanted this year's festival to be more fun and memorable. Hachiman silently listens to them while mentally thinking what 'fun and memorable' even meant in this situation.

"I have to let you know that I won't be here till the end of the meeting though." he suddenly spoke up. Club would have ended in twenty minutes as well if Shiromeguri didn't come by with her request.

"Just stay a little longer." Hiratsuka looked at him. "Not like you have anything to do immediately after Club." She said 'immediately' because she was aware of his work schedule. And true to her knowledge, he didn't have anything to do after club hour. Normally that would have been the case but today he did have something to do immediately after club hour. In fact, he was intended to go straight to work after that in case it took too long.

"I will be grabbing a cup of coffee with someone from my old middle school and catch up with her." Since this was Hachiman, who had limited knowledge about social norms and cues had no idea that what he said made it sound like he had a date. Even though it wasn't one as far as he was concerned.

Shiromeguri who knew almost nothing about Hachiman had to take a moment to let that sink in. Even Yuigahama and Yukino, who in fact did know that Hachiman was not a virgin had to take a moment as they stared at him wide eyed.

*CRASH*

Hiratsuka had fallen down from her chair due to the shock. Even if she ignored the part of her that was somewhat jealous of this 'old classmate from middle', the fact that Hachiman, the twisted roommate of hers who didn't even understand what love nor affection and was at the emotional capacity of a robot turned human even had managed to land a date while she was still single had left a massive bruise on her already low motivation to find love. 'At this rate I'll end up falling back on an arranged marriage!'

"I'm okay!" she exclaimed loudly. A little too loudly since everyone in the room looked at her oddly. Her face flushed pink as she tried to save face. "Let's start the meeting already."

...

Time and time again an idea was offered. Time and time again they were rejected. A full ten minutes went by just like that. At this point Hachiman wondered what the point of them being here even was. In fact, he was starting to feel sleepy even. His sleep schedule hadn't returned to normal yet. A small part of his mind was starting to give up on the thing that had plagued his thoughts these past few days. Admittedly he didn't want to not think about it even though he was loosing sleep over it. He couldn't help it. It was... It just... It just felt important.

Too important. Too important to forget.

"Kotomine-kun?" someone nudged his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. It was Yuigahama. He looked up and blinked his eyes a couple of times to get the drowsiness out of his system.

"Yes?" he blinked again. But this time in confusion because everyone was looking at him. "What?"

"Hiratsuka-sensei has been calling out to you. Did you not hear her?" Yukinoshita was the one to answer.

"Sorry." he apologized. "What is it that you want from me?"

"I asked if you had any suggestions for the special events." the adult in the room motioned towards the blackboard that near at least a dozen different suggestions, all crossed out. Some of the names had Hachiman raising an eyebrow.

"Some of those don't sound family friendly." he pointed out. Very suggestive names. Boxers-ing? Ball Sacking? Body Cherry? Oka's Cherry? Two Girls, One...? The dotdotdot was literally an innuendo for a threeway.

"Oh screw you. Don't see you coming up with ideas." one of the boys from the other side of the table grumbled. He was probably the one to suggested some of those 'non family friendly' names. Hachimans' eyes instantly went to that boy. Said boy shrunk back into his seat when Hachimans' dead eyes locked in on him.

His expression unchanging he answered Hiratsukas' question. "I do not know what fun is. So I can't give you any suggestions that would fit the category of 'fun and memorable'." Of course his answer gained him more than a few weird looks. Because everyone was looking at him Hachiman was the only one to notice the frown on Hiratsukas' lips. "Since none of us have been able to properly suggest anything then perhaps the opinion of someone who has more fun than us on a daily bases would be far more useful. Or even someone with a more interesting life." He had a couple of people in mind too. Both of whom were very similar in the way they behaved sometimes. But since he was still looking at Hiratsuka when he said that. The woman took offense to the last bit.

"I'll have you know I have a very interesting and fun life!" she defended herself.

"I don't think almost getting arrested for driving while on the phone is what anyone calls an interesting life." his lips moved without his consent. Instantly everyone stared at the woman in shock.

Caught by surprise she stuttered out. "A-Are you still upset about that?"

This time everyone looked at him with wide eyes. "Considering I had to pay your fine which you still haven't payed me back yet, yes." Upset as in disappointed in her. As a grown woman she should know better to drive while talking on the phone.

-Later-

Hachiman sat with Orimoto in a booth in Saize. They had been talking for nearly an hour. And of course, she was the one to do most of the talking. He just nodded along, speaking only when needed to. More memories returned of her. None terrible, none great. He remembered when she confessed to him. And then inevitably broke up with him. Their interactions ended not long after their break up. Any and all rumors about them faded relatively quick as well.

"Well Hachi-kun. We should probably get going." Orimoto stood up.

He too stood up. "Let's go then." It wasn't late, he had already told her that he needed to go somewhere around this time. They exit the restaurant before she turned to look at him.

"It was great talking to you. We should do this again sometime!" Orimoto exclaimed with a cheer.

Hachiman blinked in confusion. Again? "Why?"

Orimotos' shoulders slumped a little before she let out a giggle. "You still haven't changed a bit, have you." she teased a little.

The disappointment in her tone left Hachiman confused. But he didn't say anything as the girl turned to leave. He turned and started walking to where he parked his bicycle. Since his back was turned on her he wasn't able to see Orimoto sending one final glance towards him before sighing in disappointment.

Over the next couple of days Hachiman found himself constantly wondering why he too was involved in the preparation for the Athletics Festival. Wasn't their job to just suggest things they could do for the special events? When did physical labour get added to that? 'Oh right, the Service Club was just a fancy name for volunteer's club'. Even though Yukinoshita didn't admit it the things they did most of the time were just volunteer work. Well, at least this still fit into the description of helping people. Which always had been the original purpose of the Service Club. Currently he was without the top half of his school uniform and was wearing his black T-shirt. Although it was no longer summer, the sun still radiated a decent amount of heat. Sweat rolled off his forehead to his cheeks and some parts of his T-Shirt were darkened due to the sweat produced from the rest of his body.

At least the physical labour was something he was already used to. The difference between this and his job was that he didn't get paid for this. And yes, he supposed he should have been bitter about that. But he wasn't. It was just one of those things he had gotten used to after being a part of the Volunteer's Club. Err, Service Club. He lifted six small wooden beams, three on each shoulder to support and palms at their bottom ends to properly keep them in his grip as they were rather heavy. Carrying them one by one would have been a lot easier but this way his task would be done sooner. And the sooner he was done with his part meant the sooner he could leave.

"You're surprisingly strong, my friend." he heard Zaimokuza praise him. The chubby teen had taken to calling him 'my friend' along with 'partner' now. And every time he did as such he would grin at Hachiman. Hachiman for his part didn't let that bother him since Zaimokuza wasn't wrong. They were friends. And friends could call each other friends whenever they wanted to.

"Thank you." he nodded at Zaimokuza before heading towards where he was supposed to place those down.

"That's dangerous."

Hachiman stopped to glance at the person that called him out on his 'dangerous' method of transporting the wooden beams. "I know what I'm doing."

Hiratsuka nodded at him but kept an eye on him as he proceeded to his destination. 'His shoulders look surprisingly broad like that...' He certainly did not look like that a couple of months ago back when they were in Chiba Village. Or was she just noticing it now because of her crush on him? She wasn't certain. He kneels down on his right knee and takes his left hand away from the beams they were holding up. The bottom of the wooden beams gradually slides down from his left shoulder before softly hitting the ground. With a motion of the left shoulder, the three burdens slide down again. This time on their side instead of down and lands on his 'impressive for his age' biceps and lower arm. Biceps that were glistening with sweat. The process repeats again but this time the beams land on his wrist and then immediately on the ground. Without missing a beat he places the three beams on his right shoulder down on the ground with the aid of both arms.

Hiratsuka didn't realize she was staring until the hammer she was using to hammer in the nails hit her finger. "OW! Son of a-!"

Hachiman turned just in time to see her curse. "Let me take a look at that."

"Nonono! I'm good!" she exclaimed while nursing her aching finger before hurriedly speaking to him. "I'm good. That's all we need you to do today. You can leave now." She saw Hachiman nod at her before turning to leave. Even as he left she eyed him from the corner of her eye. He was pulling on his T-Shirt a little to let some air in. Suddenly he stopped and turned to her. Her face turns a little red as she looked in the same direction, avoiding his dead fish eyes entirely. "I really need to do something about this." she mutters.

-Athletics Festival-

Sports were one of the many things Kotomine Hachiman was on neutral grounds with. He didn't dislike it nor did he like it. He didn't have any preferred or favorite sports team of any sport. Last year, that lack of interest did not sit well with some of his co-workers who had forced him to watch the some Baseball and football matches with them. He was not a fan of the crowded and generally smelly stadiums. He didn't even want to remember how bad the restrooms smelled. 'At least the Olympics were held on the other side of the world.' Since it was literally on the other side of the planet they weren't able to take him to it. The Olympics was actually a lot like their Athletics Festival as well. Only the participants were professionals that trained their entire lives for it. Why anyone would dedicate their entire life to something so temporary he didn't really understand.

Winning did not interest him like most others nor did losing agonize him. So when he was requested to be a part of the 'medics' he had absolutely no complaints. Although, he did want to ask why they couldn't have a real professional doctor or nurse to do it. Heck, why couldn't their school nurse do it? This was literally what she was paid to do.

"Let's win this!"

"Yea!"

Hachiman silently watches from his seat under the 'medics' tent as Yuigahama and Shiromeguri cheered. 'They intend to win this?' he wasn't concerned. He looked over the 'request' a few times already. Winning was optional, meaning he had no need to 'get serious' as some would put it.

Time flew by rather quickly. He would have fallen asleep if not for the fact that the 'commentator' of the festival, along with most of the female students of Sobu were showing their enthusiasm. Very enthusiastically. Tobe Kakeru exclaimed wildly as Hayama had won yet another event. His co-commentators. Ooka and Yamato tried to calm him down as they tried to give the other team hope of winning. The girls screamed loudly once again, cheering Hayama on. Hachiman grimaced for a moment. 'And here I thought stadiums were loud.' Another reason why grown women were superior to this.

"I should have disappeared like last year." he muttered. But it was too late for that now so with his hands on his lap he soldiered on.

"Did you say something Kotomine-kun?" Yuigahama asked from next to him. Fortunately unlike the rest of the girls in the vicinity the two sitting next to him were far quieter by comparison. Thank the heavens for small miracles.

"They're loud." he replied with a glance towards her direction. Yuigahama laughed nervously while admitting she too thought the same. From next to her Yukinoshita agreed as well. None of them had realized that they all agreed on the same thing for the first time since they had known each other. "Isn't the next event a girls only event?" Almost as if Tobe heard his question, the one and three quarter armed boy suddenly announced the next event. Which just so happened to be the event Hachiman was asking about moments prior.

The girls stood up and went to put on their 'gear' for the special event... Hachiman had seen the 'gear' that Zaimokuza selected for this event. He even asked exactly why Zaimokuza choose something that ludicrous. Zaimokuza just told him that it was the thing that was going to make this year's festival stand out from the rest. Which technically was a method of making things memorable. And 'memorable' was part of the request so he didn't oppose Zaimokuza. Besides, not like he was going to have to wear it himself. He kept his position on his chair as he lazily scanned the area. A yawn escapes his lips. He frowned, the reason behind his lack of sleep floated back into his thoughts.

His thoughts were interrupted by a palm landing on his back.

"How're you doing?"

Hachiman glanced up at Hiratsuka who sat down next to him. With her arms crossed underneath her breasts she leaned back with one leg over the other. Her eyes were closed and she held a satisfied smirk on her face. Her breasts were slightly elevated because of the appendages but they didn't do much to his libido for once since that was taken care of very recently. He wasn't going to feel his primal urges attempting to take over that easily so soon. Maybe if those breasts were on direct contact with his skin but visuals wasn't going to do anything to him now.

"You okay there?" she asked again, this time while looking at him. Obviously she caught him looking at her chest. And while it did bring some color to her cheeks it was far from being noticeable. She didn't expect him to be embarrassed about getting caught though. After all, he didn't even get embarrassed when she caught him doing her laundry along with his... Her laundry which had her underwear in it. Looking back, him not being embarrassed about it made her more embarrassed. The woes of sharing an apartment with this guy...

"Yes." he replied. "Just tired." She already knew he wasn't getting proper sleep lately.

"Can you still participate in the final event?" she asked him with worry in her voice. Her palm lands on his forehead to check for his temperature.

"Yes." Surprisingly her palm was warmer than his forehead. "I can. Thank you for asking."

"You won't be able to cheer for your team from here." she suddenly says. They both watched as many students in filtered into the track field from two sides. The Red and White led by three girls in western knight-like armor from each side. When that idea was first suggested Hachiman thought it was going to be rejected since even to him that looked over the top. But no, Hiratsuka had given it the 'go' with a grin that spread ear to ear.

"Cheer? Why would I do that?" It wasn't like his 'cheering' would allow them to win. No matter how many similarities real life may have with anime. Sometimes even some of the more... unbelievable things. Something as simple as 'cheering' on an ally wasn't going to magically enhance that ally's physical capabilities or win them tournaments/competitions.

"Don't you want your team to win?" she knew that it really didn't matter to him whether his team won or loss but if she could convince him to at least try then it would be another step towards the right direction for him.

The 'Girls Chiba Shouldertop Engagement' event was about to start. Hiratsuka remembered that she was the one that was going to start off the match. "Excuse me for a bit." She stood up and rushed to where the other teachers were. Hachiman watched her leave, his expression not changing the least until he saw her lift up a... Hachimans' eyes squinted. "Is that a... Conch Shell War Horn?" He'd only seen pictures those on his history text books and some anime... Their idea of 'memorable' was too confusing and over the top for his thought process. A whistle would have sufficed too. The horn was loud, then again that's the purpose of the ancient 'announcement system'. The woman returned to him and sat down.

"But what purpose would that serve?" Hachiman asked her, his eyes focused on the 'battle' before him. "There are no prizes involved as far as I'm aware and it's not like there is a penalty for losing."

"That's because neither would be fair to anyone in this field. This is a friendly competition between the students." The woman sighed. Hachiman wondered if she noticed that most of the White Team had the more 'athletic' students of their school while the Red had far fewer in comparison. This wasn't fair from the very start. "Besides, not everything needs a purpose or a reason."

Hachiman slowly turned to look at her as if she just said the most blasphemous thing in the world. Of course she noticed the look he was giving her and raised her hands in defense. Neither spoke anything for a moment as Tobe commentated on the 'battle'. "All I'm saying is that sometimes, things just happen because they just happen. And things are the way they because that's the way they are. No one knows everything just as no one is perfect. And frankly that's a good thing. It keeps us motivated to push forward and continue learning despite the possibility of it being pointless."

Hachiman returned his gaze to his palms which were still resting on his lap. A couple of minutes pass by as the girls continued their 'struggle'.

"This festival here might not have any real long term purpose." she suddenly spoke. "But it brings joy to all the people involved. Not to mention the winners get to have bragging rights. And while it's kind of brash and annoying, they'd have every right to be so for something they're undoubtedly proud of."

"Joy? Pride?' He thought to himself. Even though pride was one of the seven deadliest sins of humanity, It was still a human emotion. Therefore, a normal thing to have. And it was something he lacked. He never really did anything to be proud of in his entire life. None that he could recall at least. Maybe the person he was before had something to be proud of? "And... the Red Team winning this festival would make me... proud?"

It was wrong to manipulate him into wanting to win. But... Hiratsuka shrugged at him. "Who know? It defers from person to person. Some could feel proud of themselves for doing their homework early while others don't. You can't really know until you try." he needed to try. He needed to not give up. To cling onto that hope. It was corny and cringe but the truth. She pointed towards the field "Looks like the Red team won this event. If the Red team wins the next event then they'll win the festival. And you'll have your answer." she added in that last part for an extra push. 'Besides, worst thing that could happen is his team losing.'

Stewing in his thoughts, Hachiman remained silent for a few more seconds before he closed his eyes and released a deep breath. He had come to a conclusion. 'Another experiment. This will be another experiment.' He thought to himself before standing up look at her. "Then the Red Team will win."

Hiratsuka found herself taken aback at the look he was giving her. It was not one of confidence or arrogance, but one of determination. This was the first time she had ever seen him make such a face. It actually made him look kind of... handsome. "A-Ah." she nodded with a fake cough to hide her blush. "You should go. The Boys event should be starting in ten minutes." Her gaze returned to the field as Hachiman left.

Hachiman met up with the rest of the boys from the Red Team. Well, more like he walked up from behind them. His expression to default as he pushed through the crowd of boys by gently pushing them aside and moving himself through the gaps with expert ease. They were gawking at something. And that 'something' was a Totsuka Saika. Hachiman approached the Tennis Club Captain. "You look good in that." He just stated the obvious thing.

"Hachiman?!" Totsuka, who was unaware of Hachiman approaching him spur around, his face flushed pink in embarrassment. "Thank you. They said the team leaders had to be the Sports Club Captains."

"I know." he responded. He was there for the meeting after all. Even if he didn't know it would have been easy to figure out. After all, the girls had their own 'leaders' for the girls only event. It would have made sense for the boys to have something similar to that. "Do we have any strategies to win?" he went straight to the point. He was here to win. That was today's experiment. And the purpose was to feel pride.

"I'm afraid not." Zaimokuza answered his question with dismay. Totsuka looked more or less the same. "Do you?"

"No." He shook his head. Of course he didn't. He was no master tactician nor some anime character that could think up a full proof plan by the snap of a finger. Up until a few minutes ago he didn't even have the intention to win. He was the type to 'react'. Someone who was good at following orders. Direct action was not his strong suit and as such he rarely did so. Not to mention acting without thinking or preparation went against his logical sense.

"Bah! Don't tell me we've already lost!" Zaimokuza exclaimed. The Red Team heard his voice as they all turned to him. Hachiman looked at Zaimokuza then at his team.

"If you say things like that the team morale will plummet." Hachiman calmly tells Zaimokuza. "Might as well give up if that happens." He wanted to win yes. But that didn't mean he didn't know when to give up. He could try saying something but that would likely go into one ear and then out of the other. These weren't like Tobe Kakeru. Kakeru had some form of respect for him because of him working in the same place as Kyo. Which was why Kakeru took his advice to heart rather easily. These people did not know Kotomine Hachiman. But... they did know-

"Morale?" Zaimokuza asked as he looked at the rest of his teammates who were grimacing. Hachiman caught Zaimokuzas' attention by a weak grunt before he motioned towards Totsuka. "Aha! Esteemed Captain!" Totsuka was surprised when Zaimokuza grabbed Totsuka by the shorter boy's shoulder. "We require your guidance! Please escort our lost souls with your brilliance!"

Hachiman sighed. "We need you to give the team a pep talk."

"A-A pep talk?" Totsuka stammered as Zaimokuza gently pushed the boy forward. "I-uh-well." Totsuka cleared his throat.

As the shorter boy opened his mouth to talk, Hachiman began to think of what he could do to give their team an extra edge. He wasn't able to read the rules but physical violence was likely out of the question meaning punching and kicking wouldn't gain him anything beside disqualification. Then again it was common sense in this situation. Though simple tackling, pushing and shoving was likely allowed otherwise the event wouldn't really go anywhere. Hachiman patted his pockets. 'No, that's worse than punching or kicking. But maybe I could...' Maybe he could use his often 'inconvenient' yet sometimes very useful 'skills' for this. '... Alright, I'll do just that.' He thought up a plan. It wasn't convoluted. A little out of the box though.

With his decision made he looked back at the Red Team. Totsuka had just stopped speaking yet the Red Team was as unsure as they were before. Hachiman raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't seem like it worked."

"Our commander has given us a very moving speech yet you maggots refuse to show your fighting spirit!? How dare you! Do you not see what you're fighting for here?!" Zaimokuza hollered. "Do you not understand that we are fighting for our dignity as men?! Or has being near Hayama Hayato made you all weak in the knees!"

Hachiman raised an eyebrow at that. How Hayama became part of this scenario he didn't really understand. But it was obvious that Zaimokuza was trying to 'unite them' under the pretense of a common enemy. An age old tactic used by many both in real history and anime. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' is how the saying went. Even now, some of the students in front of him were muttering insults towards Hayama. Speaking of whom, said boy was looking at their way curiously right now. Most likely- no- Most definitely wondering why his name was suddenly called out.

"Do not let that disgustingly handsome face claim your- mgfsh!" Before Zaimokuza could further embarrass everyone on the Red Team, Hachiman used one of his hands to grab Zaimokuzas' lips and stop the bigger boy from speaking further.

"I understand that many of you are not thrilled about this. However, if you never intend to fight for something you will never obtain it nor will you ever become worthy of it. That applies both to this event and everything else you could ever want." Even now, despite his abnormal self and abnormal skills, he was a realist. Sweet or inspiring lies wasn't something that would normally come out of his mouth. Instead he laid out the facts to them. And let them decide what they wanted to do in this event. By the looks of it, some of them agreed with him. The one's who were sitting till now stood up.

"That's right!" Zaimokuza broke free from Hachimans' hold, even though Hachiman wasn't really holding Zaimokuza back at all. "Let's show him our fighting spirit! Let's show him that he is NOT better than us! And we can be JUST AS GOOD AS HIM!" the Red Team yelled out loud with renewed vigor.

"Wow Hachiman! Yoshiteru! You two were so cool back there!" Totsuka had to speak louder to be heard over the others.

'We were?' Hachiman just stated truths while his friend just pushed half of the male student population into a frenzy by reminding them of their 'hatred' for Hayama.

"Of course!" Zaimokuza suddenly slings one of his arms over Hachimans' shoulder, bringing Hachiman closer to him. "We're best friends after all!" The laughter from Yoshiteru and his declaration got him a few shocked looks from those around him.

"R-Really?" Totsuka asked. The short boy was more than a little surprised when Hachiman nodded at him, affirming Zaimokuzas' claim. "Hachiman. Can we be friends too?" Hachiman raised an eyebrow but saw no reason to decline Totsukas' request. The boy was more than friendly enough towards him and would always ask him how he was doing. Hachimans' face remains unchanging even though he made another friend. Hachimans' lack of refusal made Totsuka smile brightly at him.

'Nope. No reason to decline at all.' was his final thought.

"The event is gonna start, let's get ready." Zaimokuza who was not jealous at all reminded them. Totsuka nodded and went to claim his position as team leader. Zaimokuza was about do the same before Hachiman stopped him and whispered into his ear. Zaimokuza nodded. "Sounds dangerous. But I trust you partner."

Barely two minutes later, both teams were formed in front of each other with their poles erected behind them by some of each respective teams members. Hachiman looked at the competition once. His eyes met the eyes of Hayama Hayato who was looking at him. Hachiman raised an eyebrow but did not say anything. Instead he receded back into the group of boys behind him. Obscuring himself from frontline view. Among the crowd and now no longer being watched, Hachiman stood motionless. The sound of a toy cap gun rung throughout the field. If Hachiman wasn't preoccupied, he might have thought of the double standard there. The girls got a literal war horn and the guys just a toy gun that could barely be heard in a subway station.

Hachiman breathed in. His lungs filled with air and his eyes closed before he breathed out. His shoulders slumped and his eyes opened. Only this time, the emptiness in his eyes were far more noticeable. The members of the Red Team that were supposed to be on the offense rushed forward with a yell. Some of them were in front of him some of them were behind. One of his team members rushes forward from behind with a yell of his own. Hachiman stepped aside before the boy's body could hit him, letting the boy through without losing momentum.

He didn't speak. He didn't even think. He just walked forward. The bodies of the students that were struggling to keep the opposition came in his way. But he weaved through them like they were motionless obstacles. He approached another pair that was struggling to keep each other from pushing forward. His eyes widened for the fraction of a second before returning to it's previous state. He didn't turn to avoid colliding against these two. Just before his body hit theirs, the member of the opposing team lost his balance and fell to the side. Due to having their arms locked, the red team member fell along side his foe with a thud. Their change in positions allowed Hachiman to move forward without a thought.

"Kotomine-san." a familiar voice called out to him. Hachiman looks at Hayama who was smirking at him. "I don't know how you got this close without me or anyone else noticing but this is as far as you'll go."

Hachiman raised an eyebrow. "You were looking for me." that was more of a statement than a question. He glanced to his sides to see he was surrounded by three others. 'They have more players in the field.' Meaning less on keeping the pole up. That was good.

Hayama smiled at Hachiman. "Of Course. You are the biggest obstacle for my team."

If he was a woman that took that line literally he surely would have been offended. After all- "As far as obstacles go I'd say I'm a little bit smaller than someone else." he looked a little towards his side.

Hayama followed his gaze, a bleached white hair rushed passed the prince of Sobu. Hayamas' eyes widened. "STOP HIM!"

Four members from the White Team rushed to meet the large teen. That was surely enough to stop Zaimokuza. One of the boys that had been surrounding Hachiman rushed in towards their aid. Fortunately for the Red Team Hachiman had no intention of letting his friend's struggle become unrewarded. His stance widened as his body lowered, his center of gravity followed with him. The two behind him were alarmed by his sudden movement. Hayama who was still looking towards Zaimokuza did not see what Hachiman did next.

He slammed into the boy on his right with his shoulder first. The force of his entire body was enough to send the boy to the ground instantly. Without missing a beat Hachimans' head turns towards the second boy with a fierce glare. His target froze for a full second. Hachiman capitalized on that distraction and sprinted towards Zaimokuza. Hayama who had finally seen that Hachiman was on the move tried to grab onto Hachiman.

'He's Fast!' Hayama noted when he missed Hachiman by mere centimetres. He tried to give chase but Hachiman already had too big a head start.

He approached Zaimokuzas' struggling form. "Kneel!"

Following that command would be harder than said but Zaimokuza grinned as he used all his remaining strength to pull himself downward rather than pushing forward. The teens holding him back lost their balance by the sudden weight pulling them down. Hachimans' momentum increased. His eyes widened for a brief moment. The group of boys in front of him looked back at him with wide eyes just in time to see what Hachiman did next.

His right foot lands on Zaimokuzas' back. Zaimokuza gasped from the sudden weight on his back but his determination did not waver. With a roar his body rose up just a bit. Using the elevation Hachiman received from Zaimokuza and his own momentum, he jumped.

His entire body crashed right onto the pole. The few White Team members that were keeping it up lost their grip on it because of the sudden weight added to it. He, along with the enemy pole fell on the ground and his body rolled twice due to the momentum. The audience gasped at his daring stunt. Some out of worry for his safety others for how amazing it looked from their perspective. Hachiman rolled onto his stomach and stood up. He was covered in dirt from the ground and some bruises from the rough landing but still capable of movement. He inhaled and exhaled repeatedly to regulate his breathing. The pounding headache he felt was not helping. But he willed himself into not thinking of that. More important things were at hand.

"Hachiman!" that was Totsukas' voice. Hachiman managed to stand up just in time for Totsuka to jump on him. His stance sifted just about enough to hold his ground. "That was amazing! Dangerous! But amazing!"

"Did we win?" he asked the most important question. Totsuka nodded excitedly. More members from his team showed up. Each congratulating him for their victory or just cheering loudly.

"Yes! We did it Hachiman! I expected nothing less from my most trusted ally and friend." Zaimokuza gave him a thumbs up before wincing. "But next time maybe go a little easier on my back. I'll be walking funny for a while." How Zaimokuzas' answer reached Ebina Hachiman didn't know. But all he heard was a feminine squeal and chose to ignore it.

"We won." Hachiman stated the obvious with a nod before closing his eyes. A few seconds later his eyes opened. A barely invisible frown fell on his lips... He felt no joy from their victory. Nor a sense of pride

'Another failed experiment.'

-Chapter End-

Emiya Shirou with his 'People die if they are killed' after seeing Kotomine Hachiman say, 'Until I die, I will live': Could this be... one of MY PEOPLE?

Looks like I've broken my previous personal record of chapter length eh? Also looks like I've managed to finish the first season too. I'm sure some of you have noticed my recent complaints about how real life is going for me. And I've been using it as an excuse for my recent lateness is chapter updates. I'm also sure that some of you noticed me rushing these past few chapters. At this point I'm a little concerned for this fanfic due to the interruptions it's been getting from my real life problems. So I'll be trying to finish this as fast as I can while keeping the chapter length at around 10l or 10+k words so that even though it's rushed it doesn't feel too shortened. By my estimation this fanfic should be complete by the 30th update. Potential bonus chapters not included of course.

Fluff or Romance scenes aren't something I'm used to doing. So I hope the HachixSensei scenes here were at decent enough to pass for fluff scenes. Let me know what you think of that. Moving on to the bonus scene!

Bonus Scene(Title: Okay)

Teenagers were immature and unwieldy. Then again, they were at the beginning of their lives. Too young to make respectable choices yet too old to not have their actions be criticized or forgiven easily. An age where one receives the the disadvantage of adulthood while not being treated as an actual adult. Then again, that just might be the adults being unfair because of jealousy. At the early years of their teenage years they don't really understand that their actions have consequences, consequences that none of them are ready to own up to.

Currently there was only one adult in the room and that was the homeroom teacher. Said teacher was calling out names one by one and marking the attendance sheet on his desk for all the students present. He stopped when a person didn't respond to his name.

"Kotomine?" the teacher's question was met with silence. "Is Kotomine Hachiman here?" he looked around his classroom. Surely enough one of the desks were empty. He looked at his students questioningly, waiting for them to speak up of their classmates location. No one answered but he did notice half of the girls in his class perk up. Was this 'Kotomine Hachiman' popular among the girls or something? He returned to the attendance sheet and marked absent. Funnily enough he couldn't remember the face of this student whom, by the looks of it, hadn't missed a single class till now. he mumbled. "Weird..."

The door to their classroom slides open and their P.E. Teacher enters the classroom. Behind him was a student wearing their school uniform. He had black hair and dead fish like eyes. Many recognized him as the student their homeroom teacher was asking for a few seconds ago.

"Sensei, I found this one behind the school." the burly man told the teacher who quirked an eyebrow at the student behind the P.E. Teacher.

"Doing what exactly." the teacher asked after taking a good look at the student. Already guessing it was related to something shady considering how the boy looked. Something the students here probably shouldn't listen to. The man's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. "Maybe we should take this-" Before he could finish the P.E. Teacher handed him a piece of pink colored paper. "What's this?" Neither adults noticed some of the female students in the room wincing at the sight of the pink paper. Subconsciously they sunk into their seats in an attempt to make themselves invisible. "What in the... A Love Letter?" the man trailed before giving the boy behind the other man a blank stare. "Did you stay here the entire night because of this?" The boy nodded with a 'Yes' causing the man to groan.

Of course, even though they were teenagers it was easy to connect the dots. Especially for those that were the main cause of this scene. Most were baffled, shocked that their classmate was gullible enough to spend the entire night out here while waiting for someone that clearly wasn't going to show up. The only one that was thinking of something else was a brown haired girl. She couldn't help but admire his persistence and commitment to wait for the person that seemingly pulled a harmless prank on him on the off chance of the person actually arriving.

Of course no one answered the teacher. Said teacher sighed in disappointment. He was a fool to think a young teenager would admit their mistake like this, especially with the chances of repercussions being this high. "Thank you for bringing him here sensei." he nodded at the other teacher who left before giving the fish eyed teen a sympathetic look. "Go take your seat so I can start class."

"Okay." the boy responded and went to his seat. He glanced around when he realized the other students were looking at him. That changed when the teacher started class. But unknown to him, one girl in particular kept sending him looks every so often.

A Bonus Scene AND an Omake? Damn y'all are lucky today.

Sort of Omake(Title: Kotomine Hachiman meets Hikigaya Hachiman)

"Overly high expectations often lead to disappointment."

"Can't argue against that."

"And I am very disappointed right now."

"How come?"

"You were a disappointment there. I would rather remain an abnormal human being than become like you."

"You don't believe that."

"I do, just not completely. I'm not desperate yet."

"Was that an insult?"

"You are very easy to insult and emotionally scar even if you think otherwise. How do you think Yukinoshita wins against you all the time."

"Hey I win against her in our banters!"

"Name one time."

"Well there was the time when she... I mean I..."

KH(Kotomine Hachiman) looks at HH(Hikigaya Hachiman) who avoids KH's gaze by turning away. The two were currently in a bar. They had come here after being made aware of each others lives and experiences up to this point. One enjoying his mango juice while the other lazily taking a sip from his beer. "I am waiting."

"Have you ever tried not talking like that?" HH asked in a not so subtle attempt to change the topic. He never won against his girlfriend in their banters but he was not going to admit that in front of KH.

"Like what?" KH asked in confusion causing HH to look at his counterpart in exasperation.

HH put down the light novel he was reading. "I'm beginning to wonder what Sensei and Yukinoshita-san(Haruno) sees in you." HH deadpans.

"How humorous." KH scoffed much to HH's astonishment. "An unremarkable person such yourself in a similar situation asking me that question. At least I'm willing to work for my livelihood and not trying to mooch off another person for free."

"I was young and stupid okay!" HH defended himself. He didn't like being reminded of his first year of high school nor of how he used to behave.

"You still are you dunderhead. You're nineteen." KH pointed out. "Huh, looks like you and Yukinoshita-san(Yukino) are a perfect for each other after all. You can be stupid and in 'love' together."

"Wrong." HH 'corrected'. "She and I are loners. Two loners being together are still loners so we can not be in love together." It was still too early to call it love. They had only been dating for a few months now. Heck, it was still embarrassing to call her his girlfriend to someone else.

Now it was KH's turn to stare at his 'normal' counterpart with a raised eyebrow. "Thank you." His response confused HH.

"For what?" HH asked.

"For proving my point." KH finished his drink before he made a condescending 'heh'. "I was mocking you before but it looks like it really is that easy to win a 'banter' against you. Since you just did most of my work for me."

"... I don't think even Hayama annoys me this much." HH grumbled.

"The feeling is mutual." KH assures HH with a side glare. "Looking at you is enough to give me stress." They finished their drinks in silence.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"The new Pretty Cure Movie came out a few days ago in theaters. Wanna go watch? "

"Sure. Yukinoshita doesn't like it so I hadn't been able to watch it yet."

Bonus Scene(Warning: 'Magic' and violence is involved, not recommended for most readers) (Title: I can't afford to get hurt anymore)

The still night remained silent. The sound of a chain rattling was the only sound that could be heard. The road were empty. But at this hour that was to be expected. Work had dragged on a little longer than usual and the chain of his bicycle pedal had slipped off. Had this been his old bicycle then he would have tried to put it back on with his hands but this new one had a part that literally covered the chain so that nothing would get caught in it. Funny how the one thing that was supposed to be a benefit had become such a disadvantage. Then again that was just nature. Everything had their own disadvantages. Some minor, some major. At least this was a minor one so he was thankful for that. He was just going to arrive at his shared apartment much later than usual.

Even though his thoughts were plagued by the problem he had encountered very recently, he walked forward with his bicycle on his side. The rhythmic and somewhat relaxing sound of the pedals moving was suddenly poisoned by laughter footsteps far louder than his own. He did not bother looking at where the sound came from. Although he was a little surprised that there was someone else still out around this hour. But that was fine, he should be safe here. It wasn't a busy road around this hour and only vehicles would come and go from time to time. Meaning usually this place remained empty whenever he went home from work. Which also let him speedup whenever he was here to reach his new apartment faster.

The laughter suddenly stops. A voice called out. "Hey You!"

He didn't stop. That voice wasn't familiar to him so it was likely not calling him and was calling someone else.

"Stop!" the voice roared again. This time it was angry. "You with the ugly eyes!"

'Ugly eyes?' he thought to himself. He certainly did have 'ugly' eyes. But most people used 'creepy' or 'disgusting' rather than ugly to describe them. He stopped and turned to the owner of the voice. It was... He had no idea who this person was. "Who are you?"

The grown man who around his thirties ran up to him and suddenly grabbed him by his collar and jerked him away from his bicycle which fell on the ground. The sudden action surprised him greatly. There were two more that came with the man. And they looked just as confused as he was.

"The heck man? Who is this brat?" one of them asked the man.

"Who-? Don't you remember? This is the punk that got us beaten up a couple of years ago!" the man angrily replied.

"The same one from that alleyway?" the last man asked before looking at him accusingly. "Oh yea it is that punk!"

"Ohoho. It's our lucky day boys. We'll finally get our revenge!" the three laughed.

'It's them.' he finally remembered now. These were the same group of guys that had pulled him into an alleyway and beaten him up around two years ago. Although they seemed to be lacking one person. "Let me go please." he had no time for this. He needed to head home, have dinner then wake up to make breakfast after all.

"Let you go? Sure. But after a quick beating alright? My knuckles have been feeling bored lately." the man holding him mocked.

"You will... hurt me?" he asked the man who snorted.

"Just a little bit." the man replied with a fake smile on his face. "Enough to make sure you don't wake up till next week."

"I see... I'm sorry then." he apologized. Seeing him not frightened at all by the prospect of getting beaten up confused his would be assailants greatly. Due to the angle they were looking at him. None of them noticed his left hand going into his left pocket. "I can't afford to get hurt anymore." If he got hurt they would be sad... She would be sad. He didn't want her to be sad. He wanted her to be happy. To be smiling. Her smiles were nice.

"Too bad then." the man pulled a fist back to punch his victim in the face. "This will be satis-grk!"

He remained in his position even as a small amount of red splattered over his nose and cheek. His assailant let him go letting him take a step away from the man. One of the man's friends were alarmed by their leader's action and rushed to the man's side. While the other was just behind him with wide eyes.

"Kosei!" one of them exclaimed as 'Kosei' fell into his arms. "Kosei! What's wro-?!" Kosei did not respond even though his eyes were wide open. Blood trailed down his lips and his shirt got stained with it. His body was limp and motionless.

Then again, that was to be expected since his abdomen, heart and lung were punctured.

"Yo-You! What did you do to- The person began turning to look at him. " the man wasn't able to finish talking as a pained scream came out instead. The man fell on his knees with his hands covering his eyes. Droplets of red seeped through his fingers.

'It's sharper than it looks.' he noted. The last man's eyes met his lifeless ones in utter fear before they landed on the object in his left hand. Coated in red yet still reflecting some moonlight, it literally felt far more terrifying than any other knife the man had ever seen.

His body jerked backward just a little as the last man tried to flee. However, instead of giving chase, he just threw the knife like object in his left hand. It sailed through the air and embedded itself in the man's thigh even though he was aiming for the back. 'I need to work on my aim.' The fleeing man fell down with a yell. He walked towards the downed man with hast as his right hand reached inside his right pocket. When he pulled his hand out. There was something in his hold, but it was held tightly in his knuckle. He squeezed the object trapped within his fist.

The downed man looked back just in time to see him a few feet away and approaching. His second weapon, poised to finish what his first had started. "No wait! Spare me! I beg you!"

Those pleas were unheard as the blade in his hand went straight through the man's eye and into his brain. The man fell limp like his leader.

'One more.' he hadn't forgotten. He pulled his weapons off the now deceased man and turned around and calmly approached the man whose eyes he had cut with a single stroke. The now blind man sobbed in fear and kept muttering apologies. With his expression unchanging, he finished it.

"Hah." he sighed before pulling out his phone and looking at the time. 1:30 AM it read. It was late. Really late. Without another word, he picked up his bicycle and resumed his journey towards his shared apartment.